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IndyCar is finished for the season — and there are some who are saying that the third word in this opening paragraph is exactly what’s happening to IndyCar (but we won’t go there today) — and Formula One is a week away from its next race. NASCAR is at New Hampshire.

But the two racing series I want to highlight today are wrapping up their seasons and both will crown champions before the weekend is over. The NASCAR Pinty’s Series will run off its final race of 2017, as will the Nissan Micra Cup.

Oh, before we get chatting about those two series, let me tell you about something that’s happening at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next weekend. Just in case you might want to make plans, you should know that Canada’s own Scott Goodyear and his son Michael will be racing at Old Mosport a week from now, as will Ron Fellows’s oldest son, Sam Fellows, and maybe — just maybe — Ron himself will come out of retirement to partner his boy in the last GT race of the season out there.

I will talk more about the Goodyear and the Fellows teams in a column next week but wanted you to know what was coming up so arrangements to attend could be made.

OK, here is the lowdown on the Pinty’s Series race, thanks to Jason Christley of NASCAR. Take it away, Jason:

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There is plenty of reason to celebrate the first NASCAR Pinty’s Series race at Jukasa Motor Speedway this Saturday, but for Alex Labbe the celebration will be just a little sweeter when he takes the green flag to start the Pinty’s Fall Brawl 200.

Labbe will clinch the 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s Series championship by just starting the race and will become the sixth champion in the history of Canada’s national stock car championship series. The Victoriaville, Que., native enters the race with 33-point lead over Kevin Lacroix and will secure the championship no matter where he finishes in the race.

While Labbe has the title in hand as long he starts the race, Lacroix will have his hands full holding onto second place with defending series champion Cayden Lapcevich and D.J. Kennington in contention for the runner-up position in the final standings.

Lapcevich, the 16-year old NASCAR Next driver who will be presented with the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame’s Rising Star Award at its annual induction gala next month, sits 23 points behind Lacroix with Kennington, a two-time Pinty’s Series champion himself, just four points behind Lapcevich.

In addition to the podium battle for the final standings, several drivers who visited Victory Lane in 2016 will get one last chance to score a win this season. Among those drivers is Andrew Ranger. Ranger has collected three runner-up finishes so far in 2017.

This is also the first Pinty’s Series race at the newly updated and reconfigured Jukasa Motor Speedway, formerly known at Cayuga Speedway. The speedway hosted the series during its inaugural season in 2007.

Jukasa’s general manager Alex Nagy picks up the narrative at this point:

Pinty’s Delicious Foods and Jukasa Motor Speedway have entered into an agreement that will see Canada’s primary pub-and-grill meal company sponsor the NASCAR Canada season finale for many years to come.

For Anthony (Tony) Spiteri, senior vice-president for marketing, research and development at Pinty’s, the new partnership was a natural one for his company that is also involved with the Toronto Blue Jays, Canadian Football League and curling in addition to Canadian motorsport.

“Pinty’s has benefited from working with some of the best teams, fellow sponsors, facilities and promoters throughout North America and we’re pleased to announce our investment in Canadian short track racing,” said Spiteri. “Fans love short track racing under the lights and watching the sparks fly in NASCAR racing. When you combine great NASCAR racing at a state-of-the-art racing facility (like Jukasa), it’s a recipe for success.

“Pinty’s wants to be a part of this event in 2017 and for years to come.”

Jukasa Motor Speedway was formerly known as Cayuga Speedway and opened in 1966. The track hosted racing every year before it was closed in 2009. In late 2016, the track was purchased by Kenny Hill and Jerry Montour and they hired Nagy to oversee a complete renovation of the track.

Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with the Pro Late Model 50 lap presented by McColl Racing kicking off the racing action at 5:30 p.m. with the Pinty’s Fall Brawl 200 to follow at 7:30.

Now, Didier Marsaud of Nissan Canada sent along the following information about the Micra Cup finale taking place this weekend at Le Circuit-Mont Tremblant in the Quebec Laurentians:

After 10 races spread out across five events, each one as exciting as the last, the 2017 Nissan Micra Cup all comes down to the final race weekend. After competing at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, the drivers are back for the grand finale of the season, which is taking place this weekend in the majestic area of Mont-Tremblant as part of the Fall Classic.

Overall, three drivers could mathematically win the Nissan Micra Cup championship title, but 2016 champion Xavier Coupal, who is currently sitting in third place, would need luck on his side in order to defend his crown and displace the top two drivers.

It is likely that one-of-two young Quebec drivers, Olivier Bédard or Kevin King, who will be competing in a highly anticipated battle, will win the championship title.

For the third time in the three seasons since its inauguration, fans must wait until the very last event of the season for the Nissan Micra Cup to declare a champion. This is further testament to the incredible level of competition that exists within this Canadian motorsport series.

Olivier Bédard, of team Total, has 342 points at the top of the championship standings, while Kevin King, of team Sorel-Tracy Nissan, has 315. Bédard, who was the series’ inaugural champion in 2015, currently holds the upper hand in the fight for the title. If Kevin King is victorious in both races, Bédard must at least finish third in one race and fourth in the other in order to claim another championship title. Kevin King, however, has nothing to lose this weekend and will definitely be fighting hard for both race victories.

The final race weekend of the season is expected to be an exhilarating one, drawing a large number of fans to the Circuit Mont-Tremblant for the occasion. The Fall Classic is, year after year, the most action-packed event held at the track, which is nestled in the heart of the Laurentian Mountains. The Nissan Micra Cup program will no doubt bump interest up a notch among the fans. Once again, Nissan Canada is inviting Nissan Micra drivers to attend the event free-of-charge, where they will be able to take part in the post-championship celebrations on Sunday afternoon, after the completion of the second race.

Twitter users can obtain real-time information live from the track by following the series @MicraCup. News and updates will also be posted on the series’ Facebook page.

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